1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a meter device. More particularly, the invention relates to a rally-oriented meter device for motorcycles and the like.
2. Description of Relevant Art
A competition race using a motorcycle is known as enduro in which, along a course such as a mountain path, an emulation is made about how correctly each section of the course could be travelled at a specified speed in accordance with a given chart. Therefore, in the enduro, a driver of each motorcycle needs to alternately compare a clock, a speedometer, and an odometer, as well as the given chart during the race.
There has been already proposed a rally-oriented meter device for motorcycles, in which a clock, a speedometer, and an odometer are assembled together into a meter unit. For a driver having the conventional rally-oriented meter device equipped to his or her own vechicle, a facilitation is made available in a race, such that he or she can travel, seeing indications of the clock and the odometer, as well as of the speedometer, on the meter unit, while comparing them with a specified travel distance at each specified travel time on a given chart prepared by the sponsor, to grasp deviations of the individual vehicle from the specifications for travel, in order to achieve an average vehicle speed as specified.
In the enduro, in an initial stage after the opening of the race, an official standard vehicle of the sponsor travels with entrant vehicles, from the start point of the race to an appointed point on the course thereof, for example to a 3-mile point, to permit each entrant to calibrate by comparison a travel distance characteristic of his or her own vehicle with that of the standard vehicle. The score of the race is determined in accordance with the travel distance characteristic of the standard vehicle.
In such a race, with the conventional rally-oriented meter device, a correction for the calibration is permitted to be made no more than one time, that is, only in an initial stage after the opening of race. In other words, such a correction can not be effected thereafter, thus making it difficult for a driver to cope with the varying situation of the course. Particularly, in the enduro, in which the race is usually divided into a morning part and an afternoon part or by hours, such comparative calibration is difficult for the driver to make of respective standard vehicles by such parts or hours.
Moreover, in the conventional rally-oriented meter device, the odometer is constituted with a numerical display having the same number of figures as numerals for travel specification in the given chart, so that the aforesaid grasp of deviation is rather difficult for the driver to make with accuracy.
Further, in the conventional meter device, the meter unit is usually fixed to a motorcycle by a fastening means such as a combination of bolts and nuts, thus being disadvantageous in such points that (a) the detachment from the motorcycle as well as the attachment thereto is troublesome to make, (b) the device must be hand-carried to prevent mischief and theft, (c) shocks are directly given from the motorcycle to the device while travelling, and (d) a large number of components are employed for attachment of the device to the motorcycle.
Furthermore, in the conventional meter device, a sensor for detecting a vehicle speed is built in the meter unit. The sensor is connected a cable for mechanically transmitting the number of revolutions (i.e., speed) of a road wheel, so that the meter unit is likely to receive mechanical shocks from the cable.
Also, in the conventional meter device in which a power switch and/or some operational switch or switches such as for changing or correcting indication mode or content of indication of the meter unit or the like is or are disposed on the rear side of a casing of the meter unit, there is a desideratum for facilitation of switch operation.
Additionally, in the conventional meter device in which such switch or switches is or are disposed on the front side of the meter unit, while being projected therefrom, an erroneous switch may be touched by the driver. Particularly, in the rally-oriented meter device, which has stored therein various data such as a travel distance as integrated during the race, such data may change or disappear upon the driver's unintentional touch onto such switch or switches.
The present invention has been achieved to effectively overcome the problems of a conventional rally-oriented meter device for motorcycles.